Symbiosis
by A Timid Soul
Summary: When a Cerberus-hunted refugee is entrusted to Shepard's protection, the Commander has more than a few questions rattling her mind. With the war heating up and Cerberus growing more daring by the day, the Commander has no choice but to trust this refugee and her unique story. Warning: OC in case you're not into that.
1. Prologue

Piper could remember the exact moment in time when the Reapers hit.

She was sitting at her desk on Demeter, trying to figure out a particularly difficult physics problem. It all seemed so insignificant now, complaining as she had to work the numbers by herself, missing the feeling of being in a classroom with other kids to complain and joke with, the promise to herself that if she finished today's physics work, she could take a quick break to read another chapter of her book. She remembered typing the numbers into the formula on her data pad and hitting "solve." Not a moment later did the windows suddenly explode.

She remembered looking up after her vision cleared, hearing the low hum of the Reaper's lasers, ears throbbing from the extremely low octave. She vaguely remembered some form of pain before instincts pushed her up and forced her down the stairs. She was alone in the house, her parents at work and her brother off fighting for the Alliance. She was helpless.

Her ears registered screams as her front door slid open. The Reapers were efficient, wasting no time sending out ground units. Piper paused as she first saw a husk, the lumbering figure too humanoid for her to reason it away into a more docile and foreign creature. The husk turned, it's too blue eyes meeting her gaze. She bolted into her house, grabbing a kitchen knife and running upstairs to gather anything valuable; pictures, arts and crafts from preschool, and datapads with important records were all stuffed into a rucksack before Piper stopped, wiped tears that she didn't know she shed, and snuck out the back door.

The agricultural aspect of Demeter was both a blessing and a curse. As of now, the Reapers had failed to burn the field behind her house, although she knew it was only a matter of time until they got around to it. She silently stole her way through the field, ears straining to hear the sound of approaching enemies. A husk surprised her at one point and it took but an instant for her to thrust the knife deep into the creature's neck. She severed an artery and unnaturally colored blood spewed onto her clothes. Piper vomited as the body crumpled to the ground, still breathing. She shakily pulled the knife from the creature before repeatedly stabbing it in the heart. She sat there for a moment, adrenaline coursing through her veins as her brain desperately tried to develop a coping mechanism for what just happened. Her breath was shallow and her mouth was dry, but she found that she had somehow drawn the knife out of the corpse, standing with the sticky weapon in her hand.

She staggered forward, stomach churning at the sight and smell of the gore, the memory fuzzing as she somehow found her way to the main town. There was no help yet, no marines running in to save the day. Piper stood dejected, watching the rapture of her home world. People shrieked in agony as they were either killed or dragged off into a ship. Fires blazed, scorching any hope people had for survival.

It was slaughter.

An explosion had prompted Piper back to reality. She stumbled through the smoke, before something caught her arm. She turned, knife raised, until she realized that the skin was untouched by Reaper technology. It was her neighbor, Mrs. Goodwin, a woman known for her resilience and quick-thinking. She might have been discharged after a severe knee injury, but she still knew how to handle disaster.

"I need you to get into the shelter and calm the children," ordered Mrs. Goodwin as she tugged Piper through the smoke. Piper reveled in the sense of calm and clear-headedness that the veteran exuded. "Make sure none of the little ones run off. Richard is there watching the elderly. Listen to whatever he says. If you need help, come find me," she urged, ushering Piper into the shelter.

"And here," said the woman, taking Piper's bloodied knife and pressing a pistol into her hand. "Take this."

Piper nodded, ducking through the door.

As she entered the bunker, Piper was assailed with the oppressive sense of fear. She remembered standing dumbly for a moment as all eyes turned to her, everyone begging for security that she could not grant.

It was this memory that flooded her mind as she now stumbled upon a pocket of survivors in Benning. Past and present blurred for a moment, the feeling of failure pressing hard on her heart. She held her pistol with only slight confidence now.

"What's happening out there?" asked one of the men.

Piper crouched down next to them, pistol pointed at the doorway.

"It's Cerberus," Piper managed, trying to regain her breath. "They're taking everybody."

"Everybody?" whispered a woman, her hands pressed over her child's ears as she cradled him to her chest.

"Yes," came an authoritative voice, the answer muffled by a helmet.

Piper looked up, finding an Alliance marine standing in the doorway.

"Is everyone all right?" the marine asked as the rest of his squadron filed in the door.

"I-I think so," stuttered a woman. "Are you here to help us?"

"Yes. I need you to stay calm. We're going to get you out of here, but only if you listen, okay?"

Everyone offered a nod. Piper couldn't even begin to express the relief she felt.

"Alright. My team is going to clear a path to the landing pad. There may be shots fired, but you need to trust that my team will keep you safe. When we say 'run,' you run. You cannot hesitate. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Piper whispered.

"Good. I need all of you to be ready to go. Give me and my team a moment to regroup. All of you stay here and do not move. Keep as quiet as you can."

Piper watched as the rifleman left, the back of his helmet reading "Osaba."

Piper held the pistol loosely in her hand, trying to remain comfortable with her rucksack on her back. Somehow the pack had managed to survive the rapture of Demeter and now it was here to witness the fall of Benning. There was no way to escape this war, a lesson Piper learned the hard way as she hopped from planet to planet in hopes of finding safe haven. Suddenly, Piper heard Cerberus chatter.

"Where is Piper Reddington? We know you're here. Your friend, Cameron, told us. If you surrender and come peacefully with us, we won't harm her."

The blood in Piper's veins suddenly turned cold. _Cameron_. What had they done to her to get that information?

"You do realize that you are the top priority right now, don't you?" came a second Cerberus voice, the sneer causing her to shiver. "Everyone else here is expendable."

Piper couldn't control her breathing. Everything was wrong, all wrong. None of this was supposed to happen. The marines were here. They're supposed to save everyone.

"He said 'move.' Let's go!" said one of the civilians, pulling Piper to her feet.

"Right," Piper offered dumbly.

The red-head ran through the battlefield, trying to vain to drown out the Cerberus chatter that filled the air.

"Damn psychological tactics," cursed a nearby marine. "Who's Piper?"

Piper, crouched behind a crate, weakly nodded her head as she made eye contact with the man.

"Do you know why they want you?"

Piper lied, shaking her head.

"I heard reports that they used this same tactic at Grissom Academy," commented another soldier, popping out of cover to stop another Cerberus trooper.

Piper tried to steady her breath as her vision clouded with tears. God, why was this happening? What had the universe done to deserve this?

"Move!"

Piper ducked out of cover, trying to run while crouching. The mother in front of her lost her balance and Piper moved in to help her, checking that the child was fine. A stray Cerberus trooper managed to sneak up on them and he grabbed the child.

"NO!" the mother screamed, clawing at the armor of the soldier for her child.

Strangely, the soldier placed the child on the ground, turning his attention towards Piper. She blinked as she realized the words that had spilled out of her mouth.

"I'm Piper Reddington, you bastard!"

Not only had she never cursed, but she never anticipated how swiftly he would take her up on her words. Piper froze in place, completely out in the open, pistol thrust pathetically before her. The trooper lumbered towards her, submission baton drawn.

Piper suddenly felt herself thrown backwards, the skin on her hands grated off as she hit the rough cement. A marine stood in front of her, covering her from the swarm of troopers that just landed.

"Go!" shouted the marine, gunning down the trooper.

"Come on!" shouted another marine, grabbing Piper by her rucksack and hauling her to her feet. Piper began to turn her head away but stopped as she saw a flash, a grenade, and smoke.

"Damn it! Osaba! OSABA!" shouted the marine that held her.

Piper watched as the body fell, hitting the ground with a resounding thud. Another casualty, and for what, nothing but a few civilians?

"You need to move, kid!" shouted the marine, recovering much faster than the girl.

Piper stumbled back as the marine offered suppressive fire. As soon as she regained her footing, she ran. She was not going to be a liability. She was not going to be the reason for another death.

She watched as the final marine climbed into the shuttle, everyone accounted for except Osaba. A heavy silence clung to the air and Piper gripped her seat, trying to steady her shaking hands. She cried without shame for once, sobs choking her throat as she relived the past few moments of her life.

A marine took off his helmet and stared Piper straight in the eye.

"You lied to me. Why the hell did Cerberus run a whole raid to capture one kid? What did Osaba die for?"

Piper paled as she slowly stopped the tears, licking her lips as she prepared an answer.

_Curse this damned war._

* * *

_Author's Note:_ Just so you know, I haven't abandoned this story. I'm finishing up the outline. Hopefully, I'll have another chapter out soon. Thanks to all who have put this on their alerts list! Y'all keep me going!


	2. Meet and Greet

Shepard had never liked the Citadel. It was always too perfect, trying too hard to make people forget about their worries. It never rained, never settled into night, never did anything but remain a literal ray of sunshine in a sliver of space.

"Commander?"

Part of Shepard wondered how the birds handled the perpetual daylight. The old vids mention that they migrated. How were they supposed to do that on a space station?

"Shepard?"

But the station maintained a constant temperature, so the birds wouldn't have to migrate. She felt rather bad for the poor creatures; they probably never got good use out of their wings.

"Shepard!"

"Yes?" the Commander replied lazily, forcing her mind to drop her current musings.

"Commander, we are in the middle of a war right now, we don't have time to sit and admire the scenery."

The Commander waved a dismissive hand. "That's just your nerves talking, T'Soni. What's bothering you?"

Shepard was momentarily startled by the anxious look in the blue eyes before her. Liara was used to pressure; that's why she made such a good Shadow Broker.

"Commander, I just… I'm sorry. I know that you are just as stressed as I am right now. I didn't mean to break your concentration."

"Musings," the Commander corrected. "I can't focus on this war all day, or I'll go crazy. But I've had a good enough of a break for now. Any new developments that I should know about?"

"Yes, there is one file. Give me a moment to pull it up."

The Commander returned to surveying the sights and sounds of the Presidium. The café they were sitting at was pleasant enough. People chatted amicably, nearby vendors promised that part of the proceeds were benefitting the war, and TV newscasters finished their segment on an uplifting tale of survival. For a moment, Shepard understood how someone could be disillusioned with the idea of safety in this seemingly perfect haven.

"The file that I had in mind is of a particularly sensitive nature. I'd prefer not to pull in up on an unsecure channel," the asari mentioned as she looked up from her datapad.

"Well, are you open to simply talking about it?" the Commander asked.

"Are you sure it is wise?" asked the asari, a bit concerned.

Shepard shrugged her shoulders. "Why not?" With the amount of info she picked up by simply walking around the Citadel, she was sure that people were simply used to hearing outrageous ideas casually thrown about.

"Very well, then," the asari replied, settling in to give a detailed description of the file in question. "I recently received a dossier on a young human girl. Her name is Piper Reddington. Apparently, my contacts retrieved this information from Cerberus."

Shepard involuntarily ran a thumb across her cheek, checking for scars that had long since healed.

"The particular group that was tasked with studying this girl focused on the area of indoctrination."

"Indoctrination?" the Commander repeated.

"Yes. The dossier indicated that they believed that she could serve as an amplifier for indoctrination. In other words, they believed that she could influence emotions."

"Wait," the Commander started, leaning forward as a hint of a smile ghosted her face. "They think she's capable of mind control?"

The asari nodded. "Yes, Commander, although they don't have the research to back up their claims. In fact, they never had the girl in their possession; they are currently running a few minor raids to find her."

The Commander leaned back in her chair.

"Regardless of whether their theories are true," the asari continued, "I think that we should look into this. We don't want to give Cerberus any kind of hope, even if it is a false one."

"And I don't want to send another soul to their labs. Forward the file to my personal console. I want to read this thing in its entirety."

"Yes, Commander," the asari replied, returning to her datapad.

Shepard drummed her fingers on the table as she thought. A girl who potentially had the ability to control people's minds. And Cerberus was clearly interested in the well being of a subject that they never held in their labs…which raised the question of where they actually got the notion that this girl was capable of such feats. This was beyond the scope of Shepard's normal musings.

"Commander," the asari started.

"What?"

"A team from Benning recently reported in. Apparently they found the girl."

Shepard's eyes snapped up.

"All the more reason for us to look into this," the Commander mumbled. "I want any other updates regarding this girl forwarded to my cabin immediately. Give me as much background on her as you can. I want to know about family, friends, lovers, everything."

"Commander, you do realize that the Alliance will be able to provide you with much of the same information should you forward this file to them?"

"Yes, but I want to read the facts for myself. I might catch something they missed."

Liara had to crack a smile at the Commander's confidence.

"Of course, Commander."

"Oh, and uh," the Commander continued as she stood up. "Tell me when they set-up a date for her questioning. I want to be there and see her for myself."

The asari's smile deepened; it was good to see the Commander focused again.

"I'm going to head back to the Normandy," Shepard called over her shoulder. "I'll call you up when I'm ready to discuss the intel."

Liara watched as the Commander continued to walk away, raising a hand in a distracted farewell before returning her hands deep within the pockets of her hoodie. Liara shook her head as she complied a list of information pertinent to the girl; Shepard was going to have a field day with this.

* * *

Shepard had to stifle a laugh as she walked into the examination room. An Alliance official was seated straight-backed and stern on one side of the table while a young, nervous looking redhead sat across from him. A file folder sat squarely in the center of the table.

"_This_ is the girl?" asked the Commander as she strolled over to the empty chair.

"Yes, Commander," the Alliance officer clipped defensively.

"Uh-huh," the Commander offered, propping her feet up on the table. The Alliance official gave a pointed glare but made no move to stop her. "What's your name, kid?"

"Piper Reddington, ma'am," the girl replied, relaxing slightly in her chair.

Shepard quirked an eyebrow; people didn't typically feel more relaxed around The First Human Spectre.

"Commander," interrupted the official. "We have already confirmed the intel."

"Yes, but _I_ haven't," the Commander continued, undaunted, before returning her attention to the girl. "Where are you from?"

"I was born on Eden Prime, ma'am, but I've lived on Demeter for as long as I can remember."

Shepard gave a light smile; the girl was a colony kid, just like herself.

"And how old are you?"

"Eighteen, ma'am."

Shepard nodded her head before sliding her feet off the table.

"Care to tell me how an eighteen year old colony kid somehow managed to catch the attention of Cerberus?"

"Commander!" the Alliance official started. "This is not how we run an interrogation! We have –"

"Look, this isn't your show, officer. It never was. So why don't you let me finish my questions and then you can follow your regulations to your little heart's desire, okay?"

The Alliance official was too taken aback to make any reply.

"So, kid. You plan on answering me?" Shepard continued, leaning forward on the table.

"Yes, ma'am. I just need a moment to figure out how to phrase all this," the girl said. "I just…know that when I finish you're going to think I'm crazy."

"Please," sniffed Shepard. "I deal with crazy everyday."

"Well, then what would you say if I told you that I can sense people's emotions?"

"Uh, your point? I can do that too; it's called reading facial expressions."

"No," the girl huffed in frustration, shaking her head. "It's not like that. I can physically feel it, even alter them a bit."

The Alliance officer opened his mouth to make a comment, but Shepard cut him off.

"How?" Shepard could deal with crazy, yes, but this was more of the Twilight Zone.

"I'm not quite sure. I think it has something to do with my DNA –"

"No, I mean show me how you do it."

The girl seemed startled. "You believe me?" she asked, her optimism practically oozing from her words.

"If you can prove it."

Shepard watched as the girl set her eyes in determination.

"Aye aye, ma'am."

Shepard watched as the girl sat in silence for a few moments, eyes closed and jaw clenched. She settled back in her chair, waiting for whatever bolt of emotion the girl would throw at her. A minute ticked by. The Alliance officer next to her was growing increasingly agitated, squirming and sighing in annoyance. Shepard smiled to herself; and people said she couldn't be patient.

"That's enough!" the officer shouted. "You're wasting our time!"

"See!" the girl said happily.

"You expect me to believe that you made him angry?"

The girl's shoulders sagged slightly.

"The environment is too controlled. I couldn't really latch on to anything substantial," the girl admitted. "I tried, though."

"Of course you did," the officer snarled, roughly grabbing the folder from the table. "Now if you wouldn't mind, I have to get to my superiors and show them my report. Commander, you're free to go as you please, but if you so much as sneeze in the direction of this door, Ms. Reddington, I will personally see to your punishment."

His speech was punctuated by the slamming of the door and quick angry strides outside the room.

"I'm sorry," the girl said after a moment.

"What for?" the Commander asked.

"I know you think I'm a fluke, but if I could just prove it to you…"

"Hey," the Commander said softening her voice. "I don't think you're crazy. And I'm sure that the Alliance will make sure that you have a place to stay until your parents can come get you."

The Commander was rather surprised at herself; she didn't really like kids, especially teenagers. Maybe this kid did have a talent.

"Yeah…"the girl trailed, looking down and picking at her nails.

"Well, I have a few things to wrap up before I head back out," Shepard said, standing up.

"I bet you do," the girl said with a smile. "Good luck."

The Commander smiled back. "Good luck to you too, kid. I'm sure you'll need it more than I do."

The redhead laughed.

"I highly doubt that!" she managed. "Have fun saving the galaxy!"

Shepard tensed slightly but gave a cordial nod before leaving the room.

Shepard couldn't help but mull over the events of the day. The girl that Cerberus was so interested in wasn't the asset that Shepard was hoping to gain. Shepard laughed to herself as she hit the button for a transit car; the fact that she had actually hoped the girl was real proved that Shepard was getting a little too desperate. She understood it was war, and galactic war at that, but she never thought that she would start grabbing at whatever options she had. But then again, it was a galactic war against the _Reapers_.

Shepard tried to calm the paranoia that threatened to conquer her mind as she walked onto the Normandy.

"Admiral Hackett wants to talk to you. He's linked in the war room," said Joker as the doors hissed open.

Shepard rolled her eyes. "Hello to you too, Joker."

She made her way to the war room, rolling her neck as she stepped up to begin the link.

"Commander," the Admiral began, wasting no time getting to the heart of matters. "I heard that you recently sat at Piper Reddington's questioning session. I've reviewed the information, and we've come up with inconclusive results concerning the legitimacy of the girl's ability."

Shepard nodded, hands folded behind her back.

"That's why we're assigning her to the Normandy."

"What?" Shepard blurted, taking a step forward.

"We need to test her, and there's no better environment for that than the Normandy. It's a high stress atmosphere, and I know that you're a good judge of character. We can't divert any resources from the Crucible to create simulations for her, and you'd be able to give us a clear verdict in the shortest amount of time. I'm not asking you to keep her on board. I just need you to determine if she's an asset or a fraud."

"You made that decision rather quickly," the Commander replied tersely.

"We have a war going on, Commander. We don't have the time to debate this issue," Hackett sighed. At least he didn't seem too pleased with the arrangement either. "We're expecting your report within two weeks. If anything goes wrong, treat her as a hostile."

"Understood, sir."

"Good. Hackett out."

The Commander sighed as the link was cut.

"Uh, Commander?" Joker's voice sounded in the room.

"Yeah, Joker?" Shepard replied.

"There's a girl here, claiming that she was sent by the Alliance."

"Let her on," Shepard sighed, walking out to greet their temporary test subject.

"Yeah, I'll tell het to lea– wait what?"

"You heard me, Joker. I'll be there in a second."

A minute later Shepard had retraced her steps back to the helm. The girl stood there, wide-eyed and clutching a satchel of some sorts. Sometimes, Shepard hated taking orders. Regardless, she forced herself to put on a somewhat welcoming face and turned towards the girl.

"Welcome to the Normandy."

* * *

_Author's Note_: Finally. This chapter was killer; hopefully the rest will read easier. Thanks to everyone who put this on their alerts list! Y'all made me smile like an idiot and then actually get this show on the road. :) And I'm going to apologize now for the crazy long update times. I'm trying to plan this and basically do this story right, but it's my first time so it'll take me a while to figure it out. Until next time!


	3. An Explanation

As Shepard extended her hand in greeting toward the girl, she realized that she could potentially be inviting the one of the greatest threats to her crew and this war onto her warship. If the girl truly did have the ability to influence emotions as she claimed, she could easily be a Cerberus spy sent to drive Shepard and her crew to their doom or perhaps even to convert them to Cerberus's cause. Mildly concerned but still determined to fulfill her orders, Shepard continued to hold out her hand in the space between them, although she realized that the girl seemed to be focusing on anything but the hand in front of her. For a fleeting moment, Shepard feared that she would have to worry about Pon Farr. She tried to dismiss the idea, but the thought continued to niggle at the back of her mind.

"There a reason you're not shaking hands?" Shepard finally asked.

The girl quickly redirected her wandering attention and clasped Shepard's hand. Shepard sighed internally; she could still be a spy, but at least she wasn't a touch telepath.

"Sorry, Commander. I was distracted by your ship. She's amazing."

Shepard was surprised to meet a firm grip and a rather determined set of green eyes. The girl seemed to have a complete personality change within a span of a few minutes. Shepard decided to hold on to her spy theory.

"She was built using cutting edge technology," Shepard boasted, dropping the girl's hand and turning to walk towards the CIC. "Would you like to meet her?"

"I'd love a tour," the girl said enthusiastically, trying to match Shepard's stride.

Shepard smiled to herself. "I didn't mean it that way. EDI?"

"Yes, Commander?" came the omnipresent voice.

"What was that?" the red head asked, stopping temporarily as her eyes scanned the bridge.

"_Who_ is that," Shepard corrected, resuming her pace. "That was EDI, the ship's AI."

"You have an AI?" the girl asked, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes," the Commander said seriously. "And I trust that you will have no problems with her."

The girl nodded. "Aye aye, ma'am."

"Good!" the Commander said cheerily. "Now for the fun part: finding a spot for you to sleep. Traynor?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Our guest needs a place to sleep. I trust you can make that happen?"

"Of course, Commander," replied the Communications Specialist, returning to the console before her.

"Don't worry," said Commander as she hit the button to summon the elevator. "You'll meet the rest of the crew in time."

As the door slid shut to the elevator, Shepard took a moment to examine the girl. The red head seemed much more confident than she had a mere hour ago. Her red hair was immaculately braided, hands clasped neatly behind her back, gaze steady on the wall before her. If she was working for Cerberus, then Shepard would have to tread lightly; she had no idea what this girl was capable of. And the only way to do that was to get her alleged skills tested and fast.

Shepard decided to skip the mess hall and hit the override in the elevator, quickly adjusting her schedule to make an immediate detour to Vega.

Shepard took a moment to reexamine the girl and determined that she would fail to meet any of the physical requirements needed to serve in the navy.

"Are you trying to control my thoughts right now?" Shepard barked. The more her mind wandered, the less she liked this set-up.

The girl offered a small smile, eyes still focused on the door before her.

"No, ma'am. At this point, I couldn't even if I wanted to."

Shepard turned and stared pointedly at the girl. Green eyes hesitantly slid to the side to meet hers.

"It'll take time for me to explain," the girl offered, clearly cowed by Shepard's self-confidence. Maybe she wasn't a spy after all. Or maybe she was a terribly good actress. Shepard punched the button again, determined to force the contraption to move faster.

"Well, then, I hope you'll be ready to explain it to me tonight."

The green eyes darted away.

"Of course, Commander."

"Good."

The elevator finally slowed to a stop and Shepard quickly strode over to the Lieutenant who was currently lifting weights.

"Meet Piper," Shepard called as she approached the young man. At least she could hit two birds with one stone with this arrangement. "She's your new student."

"Excuse me, Commander?" asked Vega, standing up to greet the pair. Piper seemed just as confused by the statement.

"Commander, I –" began Piper.

"You heard me," Shepard continued. "Hackett's orders. I need her in peak physical condition as soon as you can manage it."

Vega quickly sized up the girl before he cast Shepard a dubious look. "You sure about this, Lola?"

"Yes, Vega. Put her through the physical and send me her results as soon as you can," Shepard ordered as she turned back towards the elevator. "I want this done before dinner. Send her to my cabin when you're finished."

And with that, Shepard disappeared behind the metal door leaving two confused crewmembers to sort out her orders.

* * *

"Is this some kind of joke?" Shepard spluttered as she read the highlights from Piper's physical results. "She 'runs' a 13 minute mile, manages only 15 push-ups, and can't even do one chin-up?!"

"Lola, she's just a kid. There's no need to get upset –"

Shepard held up a hand.

Vega was right, though. Shepard had been letting her emotions control her too much lately. Right now, the crew needed a collected leader not a paranoid weakling.

"I know, Vega. That's why I put you in charge."

"About that," Vega began, still looking distinctly uncomfortable in the Commander's cabin. "Why did you pick me?"

"You're the one with the most command experience who won't scare her. I don't think she'd like it if I threw a krogan or turian her way."

Vega had to nod his head in agreement.

"Alright, Lola. I'll do this your way."

"Thank you," Shepard said, clasping a hand on his shoulder.

"Uh, hello?" came a voice.

Shepard sighed, dropping her hand and walking towards the door to her room.

"Well, Vega, that's your cue. I'll check by tomorrow to see if you need anything for her training. Let me know if she causes any problems, too."

"Of course, Commander."

The door to Shepard's room slid open and the willowy girl quickly replaced the beefy lieutenant.

"Take a seat," Shepard said, motioning to the couch. "I have a feeling this is going to take a while."

Shepard noticed the girl's stiff movements as she perched herself on the edge of the couch. She wasn't quite sure if Piper's movements were due to sore muscles or forced confidence. Regardless, Shepard knew that she had the upper hand.

"Shoot," Shepard said, as she slid into a chair.

The girl was visibly nervous now, her prim posture contrasting with Shepard's relaxed sprawl.

"Well," Piper began, squirming as she no doubt tried to remember the rehearsed speech she made. "I…"

With a small shake of her head, Shepard put the girl out of her misery. "Give me the basics," she said. "What exactly can you do?"

"I can determine other people's emotions and some cases, alter them to a degree," Piper replied, relaxing slightly.

"How?" the Commander prompted.

"Well, I have two theories as to how I can do it," the girl started. "The first is that I'm able to detect and absorb electric waves, much like the ones produced from the beating of a heart. The second, and the one I'm more inclined to believe, is that my DNA was altered when I was younger, allowing me to sense and absorb emotions."

Shepard made no attempt to hide her disbelief.

"This is crazy," she mumbled.

"Wait," the girl pleaded. "Let me explain. My mother told me that when she was pregnant with me, she worked around Prothean ruins. This was before you triggered the beacon; we didn't know the specifics about what Prothean artifacts could do at that point. Later, as I was growing up, my mother and her colleagues figured out the idea behind beacons and Prothean communication. My mother and I both think that the site she was working on had a beacon that altered my DNA while I was still in the womb. That's why I can do what I do."

Shepard stared at the girl before she let out a bark of laughter.

"I'm sorry, kid. It's just that there's no proof for your claims and you had to admit, that story of yours seems a little outlandish."

The girl sighed. "It's only outlandish if you haven't lived it."

"How philosophical. So let's just assume that what you say is real. This afternoon you said that you couldn't influence my emotions. Why not? You seemed to make that official at your questioning pretty peeved."

"Well, it's not like I can just create emotions. I can only work with ones that are already there. And since you have extreme control over your emotions, I couldn't access them. Your mental 'shielding,' if you will, kept any of your emotions from being transferred. In fact, I can't read most of your crewmembers, right down to the engineers and maintenance people," Piper mused, slight surprise evident on her face.

"So if you were to meet an extremely emotional person…" Shepard trailed.

"Then I would have a much easier time altering her emotions," finished the girl.

Shepard took a second to process this information. If the girl was a spy, Cerberus wouldn't waste time sending her if she couldn't do anything to Shepard. That implied that there must be another way to access people's emotions.

"Well, that might cause a problem, Piper," Shepard began. "You see, I've been ordered to evaluate you, determine whether or not these alleged abilities of yours are actually real or not. I have a feeling you'd disagree with the report I turn in."

"Why? What would your report say?" asked the girl, green eyes steady.

"That you're a fraud and a lunatic," Shepard said easily.

The girl seemed a bit deflated, but shrugged her shoulders. "So be it then."

"Help me prove otherwise," Shepard said, leaning forward in her chair. "There has to be a way for me to test your abilities. I don't want to waste time, so throw whatever crazy idea you might have at me."

Shepard watched as Piper tried to formulate a plan.

"Well," Piper finally said. "It helps if I actually know the person whose emotions I'm trying to access. If I'm familiar with the feel of the other's person's mind, I have a better chance of successfully altering her emotions."

"So you're suggesting…"

"Well, I don't really know. When do you need this 'test' finished by?" asked Piper.

"Two weeks," stated Shepard.

"Two weeks," breathed the girl. "Alright, then. How about at the end of these two weeks, I pick out the person who I've come to know best and do the test on them? Will that work?"

"Potentially," Shepard mused. She still wanted to see how the girl would react in a firefight, considering that fighting was the time when people's true mental capabilities were tested. But for now, Shepard resolved that she would go along with the girl's plan.

"Fine, then," Shepard said, shaking her head as he stood up. "We do this your way. In two weeks, you'll have your test."

The girl's eyes practically sparkled with glee, but quickly faded.

"There are other things you should know about my ability," she said.

"Are they an immediate threat to my crew?"

"No," the girl began. "But –"

"Then save it for another day," Shepard said. She had enough theories about this girl to mull over for a good year. "Until then, you follow my rules. Understand?"

"Aye aye, ma'am. I won't let you down."

Shepard ushered the girl out of her room before unceremoniously flopping onto her bed. These next two weeks were going to be interesting. A Spectre out to save the galaxy and a girl who had messed up DNA were finally going to put to rest the mad theories surrounding emotional control. Shepard sighed. Interesting indeed.

* * *

_Author's Note:_ Getting there! I promise, actual plot will happen soon (hopefully within the next chapter if I can get it together)! Thanks to all the lovelies who've put this on their alerts list and to **Shotgun Larry** for reviewing! Once again, my apologies for the crazy update time. I have a feeling updates are going to be this delayed for a long time.


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